Babajimi ‘Jimi’ Manuwa is a British mixed martial artist known for his brief and successful career in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Like most self-made champions, he too came from a very difficult childhood which was full of loneliness and trysts with the law. The troubled kid was born in California and spent some time in Nigeria, before coming to London at the age of 10. Manuwa began his training for the sport in 2007 and made his ring debut on 26th July 2008 at FCFN 8 and won more than a dozen of his first matches, fighting in different promotions, winning UCMMA Lightweight championship in the process and defending it on more than half a dozen occasions. When he got signed on by the UFC, he was already one of the most fierce fighters in their rooster and although he lost a few of the crucial fights, he remained one of the most feared fighters and managed one ‘Fight of the Night’ honour and two ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses. He presently stands at the #5 in the UFC Light Heavyweight rankings.
